Six "precision air strikes" by U.S. forces have killed 17 people in Libya in the latest action against suspected ISIS militants, the U.S. Africa Command said on Sunday.
The command said the air strikes were conducted on Friday - in coordination with Libya's Government of National Accord - hitting a desert camp 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of the city of Sirte.
"The camp was used by ISIS to move fighters in and out of the country; stockpile weapons and equipment; and to plot and conduct attacks," it said in a statement.
The airstrikes were believed to be the first in Libya by U.S. forces since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.
Washington is believed to have ordered airstrikes last in early January under then-president Barack Obama, targeting two ISIS camps where militants were suspected of actively planning operations in Europe.
The U.S. statement said 17 ISIS militants were killed and three vehicles were destroyed in Friday's strikes. It provided few other details.
"The United States will track and hunt these terrorists, degrade their capabilities and disrupt their planning and operations by all appropriate, lawful, and proportional means, including precision strikes against their forces, terror training camps, and lines of communication, as well as partnering with Libyan forces to deny safe havens for terrorists in Libya," the command said.
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This article has been adapted from its original source.
